


poor dyonisus

by cryystal_m00n



Series: obligatory cliche tropes [6]
Category: The Rose (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Fluff, Humor, Light Angst, M/M, The Author Regrets Everything, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, a mess, a whole big ass gay mess, lawyer!jaehyeong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-16 06:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18685870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cryystal_m00n/pseuds/cryystal_m00n
Summary: jaehyeong wakes up to a boy sitting next to his bed saying: ‘i need a place to stay’. that’s not the craziest part of his morning.





	poor dyonisus

**Author's Note:**

> this thing happened bc of ju and bc of that i wanna dedicate this to her  
> she only wanted a drabble which included the line 'i need a place to stay' but i said fuck drabble lives nd wrote this monstrosity instead   
> there might be mistakes, but rn im tired and i just wanna yeet this out so ill check them tmrw  
> also, i know zero shit abt how laws and the whole being a lawyer works and frankly i wasnt going to educate myself on this bc i think that a season and a half from htgawm is enough knowledge   
> anyways  
> be gay, do crimes, yeehaw

jaehyeong wakes up to a boy sitting next to his bed saying: ‘i need a place to stay’. that’s not the craziest part of his morning. 

 

when jaehyeong was four, he found out that he could see things others couldn’t. like blurry people in the corner of his eyes, and weird shapes that look like kittens and puppies that follow him around. he thought he was special, but when he told his friends at the kindergarten that, they all laughed at him. 

 

it hurt and it stung his little heart, but that’s when he realized that people are bound to be mean to him. he only had his mother in this world, the only one who was able to see the dead like him. 

 

when he was seven, he found out that he can bring little beings back to life too. he found out in an unfortunate way, really. some older kids were poking a dead kitten with a stick and before jaehyeong could grasp what was happening, the kitten’s body started moving, as its bones could be heard rejoining. it was gruesome, but that’s how he made a new friend. 

 

he wasn’t alone at least. 

 

after that, his powers stayed the same, nothing to be added, nothing taken back. he was just the weird kid that was always alone. some people assumed that he was possessed and jaehyeong could only laugh. they didn’t know even half the truth. 

 

until his cat died, that time for real. he cried when he became aware of the fact that miles wasn’t coming back. he somehow managed to get over it, though, hoping that his little baby finally knew peace. 

 

he blamed himself.

 

but back to his actual situation, with the weird boy who demanded him a place to say. he doesn’t remember this ever happening in his 24 years of life. ghosts, considering that the guy was a ghost, usually just wanted someone to talk to, maybe have jaehyeong help them pass. never had they actually needed a place to stay. 

 

jaehyeong rubs the sleep from his eyes, “what?” he asks. he’s still tired, those two hours of sleep not enough to make the three days of staying up till sunrise disappear. sometimes, he despises being a lawyer.

 

“i,” the ghosts starts, looking nervously around him, as if someone could appear and take him away, “need a place to stay. you’re a lawyer, right?” when the human nods, he continues, “good cause i need one of those too.”

 

“why… why would a ghost need a lawyer?”

 

“you see, pretty boy,” the ghost takes a seat next to him, and jaehyeong swears the bed dips under his weight, “i’m not really a ghost.” 

 

jaehyeong blinks at him a few times, before falling back on the bed and pulling the blanket over his head. “night, weirdo.”

 

“wait, no!” suddenly, the ghost, who shouldn’t be able to do so, pulls on his blanket, taking it off and leaving jaehyeong shiver in the night breeze. autumn really sucks. 

 

“i’m not a fucking ghost, man! i’m a demigod!” that wakes jaehyeong up, making him sit and eye the ghost-- demigod?-- more carefully. he does look less… translucent than the usual ghosts. but that doesn’t change the fact that demigods aren’t-- shouldn’t be real. 

 

“how?”

 

“my dad fucked my mom and i came out of her vagina, that’s how babies are born, are we on the same page here, pretty boy?” 

 

the demigod glares at jaehyeong. he nods, and so he starts again. “my name is sammy, or woosung, i don’t really care. you’re jaehyeong and i  _ need  _ you. like… my life is in your hands, man.”

 

“back up, back up.” jaehyeong stands up, walking out of the bedroom after pulling a hoodie on. “you’re which god’s son? and what did you do that you need a lawyer? and more importantly: how did you find me?”

 

“one: dyonisus. two: i may have stolen zeus’ lightning. three: you’re in my dad’s phone book, uh, life book. you were there under ‘call if emergency: made apollo’s hair pink’.”

 

jaehyeong can already feel his head throb. as he pours himself a cup of coffee, he can’t help but think that this will be a long night. 

 

* * *

 

true to his words, the guy actually ends up making jaehyeong believe that he is dyonisus’ son by turning glass after glass of water into wine, like a jesus fanboy. it’s weird and surreal to the human, but at least he gets somewhat of an explanation before woosung gets too drunk on that wine. for being the son of a god who’s favorite past time activity is drinking, he sure is a lightweight. 

 

the next morning (well, it already was morning when woosung came into his room, so after the few hours that woosung spent drinking and sleeping), while eating burnt toast, jaehyeong asks woosung why exactly did he steal zeus’ lightning. 

 

“oh,” he says around a mouthful of bread, “‘t was a dare.”

 

jaehyeong is pretty sure his soul left his body. “a dare? you-- who the fuck dares you to go and steal a god’s power? and  _ why  _ on earth would you say yes?” 

 

woosung points his butter knife at jaehyeong, before swallowing the last of his bread. “first of all, the only power zeus has is his dick, we all know that hera was supposed to be the all mighty goddess, ok?  _ she  _ deserves the lightning more. secondly, i got like… a hundred bucks for it so… who’s the real winner?” he gives the human a cheeky smile and moves on to devour another piece of toast. briefly, jaehyeong wonders if gods don’t feed their children. 

 

“ok, ok. let’s say understand your reasoning, even though, i don’t. now tell me, why do you need a lawyer? can’t zeus just… take it back?”

 

woosung grimaces, “yeah… you see, here’s the problem…”

 

jaehyeong rubs his temples as he closes his eyes. “what is it now?”

 

“the lightning kinda… doesn’t want to leave me? and since the gods suddenly have morals, tell that to all the women you fucked without their consent, zeus,” he mocks, “zeus sued me? just know that you have to come with me to the mountain and like, meet athena and convince her that i’m innocent. easy peasy, lemon squeasy,” woosung takes a big gulp of his coffee after finishing his little speech, letting the liquid wash away the dry toast. 

 

jaehyeong stares into his black coffee as if his soul truly left his body. he stands up, going to his liquor cabinet and taking out a bottle of whiskey. he hears woosung shiver and gag, but the guy still holds his glass out for jaehyeong to pour him some. 

 

the lawyer ignores him, instead, pouring himself a few shots worth in his coffee cup. 

 

“it’s like 11, man,” woosung says. 

 

“well,” he downs half of it, his throat burning from the bitter taste, “it’s drinking time somewhere in the world. and besides, i deserve this, ok? you come into my life, don’t even knock when you barge in, demand me to let you stay in my tiny ass apartment and then hire me as your lawyer without even taking into consideration my life? i have actual clients, man. clients that need to be saved from this stupid law system that we have, ok?” he drinks the rest of his coffee. “now tell me how the fuck will i save your ass.”

 

woosung breaks into a grin and the image almost blinds jaehyeong. 

 

“oh, baby, this is gonna be a long ass ride.”

 

jaehyeong can’t help but agree. 

 

* * *

 

three days into living with a demigod make jaehyeong  _ almost  _ lose his mind. his days now start with a bang and a yelled sorry, most of the time from the kitchen. they start with broken glasses or spilled orange juice; the usual simple burnt toast now turns into peanut butter and jam filled sandwiches. his mornings, now start with a demigod that tries to make himself useful and not get in his way, a demigod who smiles sheepishly when he passes jaehyeong his coffee. 

 

“you look… weird,” dojoon tells him when they meet at the coffee shop across their law firm, the older man already holding his black coffee in one of his hands. 

 

“and you look like you’re not getting dicked down, but do i comment?” 

 

dojoon laughs, throwing his head back. jaehyeong can see hajoon stop behind the counter, the man staring at dojoon. their pining drives jaehyeong more insane than woosung does. 

 

his best friend shakes his head and takes a sip of his latte. the younger knows that it probably has a different flavour today, and by the way his eyes glisten, jaehyeong is going to guess that it’s back on mint. 

 

“any new clients? or did we lose them all with the last case?” 

 

the question makes dojoon grimace, but he still takes his phone out. “you know that it’s not your fault that they found the dude guilty. i mean, he  _ did  _ lie to us. and as hajoonie said, he was a sociopath.” 

 

“yes, but  _ hajoonie  _ didn’t spend weeks on it just to have it proved that he was defending a criminal, joon!” he’s getting too loud, so he stops shortly. jaehyeong takes a deep breath, before continuing, “i’m just saying, i made a mistake and i don’t want to have to go through it again, ok?” 

 

his friend nods, giving him his phone. it’s open on a text, which jaehyeong reads over quickly. it says that it’s an easy job, something about a guy having to be proven not guilty over a wrongly accused theft. he puts dojoon’s phone down, eyeing the time. 

 

“when is he coming over? should we head back to the--”

 

“actually, jae,” he points behind the younger, and when jaehyeong turns around, his smile falters. 

 

from the doorway, woosung smiles at him. “pretty boy, you did say i have to make an appointment, so here i am!” he walks over to their table, dropping his overly heavy coat on top of jaehyeong. it rattles and the human swears he saw at least 10 mini bottles of alcohol in just one pocket. 

 

unbothered, woosung goes over to the counter, leaving jaehyeong to glare at his so called best friend. in a shushed voice, he says: “why the  _ fuck  _ is he here?” 

 

dojoon looks scared, if not a little guilty. “i didn’t know  _ you  _ know him!” 

 

the brunette just sighs, finishing the rest of his americano. “whatever. i’m already working for him, he’s here just to bother me.”

 

dojoon gives him an apologetic smile, but before he can say anything else, woosung makes his way back. he holds a giant cup in one hand, while he tries to balance three plates in his other. he manages not to drop anything, putting them down gently, before not so gently plopping next to jaehyeong. 

 

he smiles at dojoon, not quite the same smile he gives jaehyeong early in the mornings or when he’s drunk, but still charming nevertheless. “mortal, i am the son of dyonisus. and yes, zeus is a cunt.” 

 

while dojoon is left gaping, jaehyeong can only hope that death finds him sooner. 

 

* * *

 

jaehyeong smiles as hajoon puts his third coffee next to his laptop. he doesn’t really look up from his book, something about greek mythology that he found in the library. it’s old and the book’s pages are brown, but what intrigues him the most about it are the little notes in the corners, notes that he still has to decipher. he thinks they are in ancient greek, but when he looked the old alphabet up he didn’t find any resemblance. 

 

“rough day?” hajoon asks, taking the empty cup and walking back behind the counter. there are only a few scattered people in the cafe, so hajoon can keep a conversation with the lawyer. 

 

“you could say that,” jaehyeong laughs, but the sound is empty. he can feel his eyes falling shut, but he quickly shakes his head. 

 

“is it a new case? cause when dodo came in this morning he looked fine,” the elder says. jaehyeong rolls his eyes at the nickname, but looks past it. 

 

“yeah, he’s not really working on it. you know the small guy that came in a few days ago?”

 

hajoon breaks into a smile, interrupting him. “woosung!”

 

“him. he hired me for some stupid ass pointless fucking case!” the barista just nods along, letting jaehyeong take some of his frustration out. “like, who the fuck does he think he is? he can’t just barge into my life and ask for shit! i have things planned, you know? who cares who your dad is? i don’t!” he exhales, before looking up at hajoon. 

 

“sorry. i didn’t mean to go all bersek and rant to you like that.”

 

hajoon just waves him off. “i get what you’re saying, jae. he does kinda need to check on his manners. he can’t just pick everything up from his dad.”

 

jaehyeong laughs, lifting the cup to take a sip. the warm liquid does make him feel better. “yeah… but whatever, i said i’ll help so i gotta.”

 

the elder smiles at him, before going back to cleaning the mugs and plates behind the counter. jaehyeong too, resumes his reading, marking down everything that seems somewhat helpful to his and woosung’s situation. 

 

in the end, between greek gods and cold coffee, he fails to notice the look hajoon gives him. and he fails to notice the small smile that plays on the elder’s lips too. 

 

* * *

 

when jaehyeong enters his home on a late night, he finds the apartment swallowed by darkness. that makes him feel uneasy. ever since woosung has come into his life, the apartment has been well lit and loud, the opposite of jaehyeong’s life. 

 

he makes his way inside, turning the lights on each time he passes by one. with each light that gets turned on, he grows more and more anxious. woosung should’ve came out by now, if not to greet him than to see if the younger brought him food. 

 

still, there is no sign of the demigod. he opens the door to his bedroom carefully, after having inspected the living room and kitchen, but on the bed, he finds a single note, left on a piece of paper that has seen better days.

 

_ pops wanted to see me. if i’m not back by… 3? 4? ever? just assume that i’m in a coma from his wine. ttyl, bby hyeongie ^-^ _

 

jaehyeong sighs, putting the note away in his jeans’ pocket. he’s tired and all he can think of is sleeping for the next three days. falling on the bed, working clothes still on, he pulls the covers over his head. 

 

he’s asleep within minutes, lulled to sleep by the gentle wind blowing outside. not even the sound of the door opening, a loud curse coming right with the intruder wakes him up. he only jumps awake when someone wraps their arms around him, face nuzzling in his chest. 

 

by instinct, he wraps his arms and legs around the body, ready to fall back asleep. jaehyeong feels a pair of lips right above his heart, the small, almost unnoticeable action making him smile. 

 

“night, hyeongie,” he hears woosung whisper. 

 

he doesn’t get to say it back, however, the man already asleep. 

 

when he wakes up again, much later and at an actual reasonable hour, he is alone in his bed. no woosung wrapped around him to keep him warm, no still wet drool on his shoulder and no light snoring to fill his ears. he is, however, wrapped in his blanket, almost too tightly to be achieved in his sleep. 

 

he’s ready to get out of bed, blanket still tight around him, when the door opens, a smiley woosung sitting in the doorway with two mugs of coffee. he walks casually to the bed, places them on the bedside table and proceeds to say, just as casually: “we gotta go meet my pops and maybe fight zeus, you want waffles?”

 

now, if jaehyeong would’ve been drinking his coffee, he would’ve spat it out. but thankfully, he just manages to choke on his spit, almost dying, not even five minutes into him being awake. he starts to think even more about the moment when he was convinced that woosung was a ghost. oh, how he wishes that would’ve turned out to be true. 

 

he finds his voice after woosung punches his back, almost sending his soul out the window. “how the fuck will we-- what do you mean fight zeus? i thought you just needed a  _ lawyer,  _ not some fucking the rock fighter!” 

 

woosung takes a seat on the edge of the bed, too close to seem bro-y, yet not close enough to send jaehyeong into a gay panic. he reaches for his cup, nonchalantly taking a sip of his drink. “i don’t need a fighter per se…” he says, looking out the window dramatically, despite the fact that the curtains were drawn. “but someone to care for me? a knight in a shining armor who will be there for me?” he turns to face jaehyeong, “i need that, hyeongie.”

 

the lawyer rolls his eyes, pushing the elder off the bed with his feet. he doesn’t even bash an eyelash at the whining he gets from woosung. 

 

“you’ve better had bought  _ me  _ a first class plane ticket or else--”

 

“oh, no, baby! the old man will get us there!” woosung announces, still not realizing that with each new bomb that he drops, jaehyeong gets a bit more scared for his life. 

 

jaehyeong looks up to the ceiling, frowing slightly at it, while whispering: “god?”

 

the demigod snorts, head falling back as his simple chuckle turns into a full blown laugh. he ends up laughing for minutes, before finally calming down and wiping the few tears which have fallen. 

 

“man, zeus literally wants me  _ dead!  _ nah, angel, i’m talking about my dad. he’s gonna like… poof us to the big ol’ mountain.” 

 

jaehyeong sighs, finally pushing himself up and out of bed, shivering as his feet touch the cold ground. woosung just laughs behind his hand, quickly following the younger’s actions and standing up as well. 

 

he gives jaehyeong his hand, rolling his eyes when the human just glared at it. “you’re gonna be  _ really  _ sorry if you don’t hold it, angel. the whole god traveling thing-y isn’t good for a virgin like you.” 

 

jaehyeong blushes, ready to protect his dignity and tell woosung about his sexual experiences in mild detail, when suddenly, the demigod grabs his hand, says something in a language he doesn’t understand and… then he blacks out. 

 

or so he thinks, because he doesn’t really remember much of the “trip”. he can remember some screaming, maybe an ambulance in the distance, but he’s not sure. he only knows for sure that they’ve arrived the moment woosung slaps him and tells to stop being a zeus. 

 

“you’ve brought another whore?” jaehyeong hears behind him. he really wants to turn around and tell the person that there is nothing wrong with being a whore, but he’s almost certain he will throw up if he spins. 

 

“you talk as if you didn’t fuck everyone in the world, pops,” woosung says to the person, smiling briefly, before helping jaehyeong sit on a chair which the human isn’t sure where it appeared from. 

 

when he finally manages to look at… woosung’s dad, he almost dies on the spot. he knows gods are supposed to be beautiful, that’s common knowledge, they  _ do  _ have to be appealing to everyone after all, but the man in front of him? he looks like a twelve course meal made by gordon ramsey himself. he’s tall, taller than jaehyeong himself, and with a face that can only be described by  _ made by god. _

 

he’s been staring at… dyonisus’ face, at his almost too wide nose, his sharp jawline and droopy black eyes, while his even blacker hair falls into his eyes. he doesn’t understand why a dude as old as time has an undercut and a body which looks full of tattoos, or why he looks like a sad, yet hot daddy, but he, and his dick, are here for it. 

 

dyonisus holds his hand out, a charming smile on his face, showing off his dimples, which in any normal situation would’ve made jaehyeong’s knees turn to jelly, but fortunately for him, they already were close to that. 

 

“call me taehyung, mortal-- oh-oh my god! you’re hades’ son! damn ma, minnie really be making some hot kids, huh.” 

 

“haha, what?” he laughs nervously, saying it not as if he’s doubting the warlock which said he would turn him into a goose, but as if dyonisus-- sorry, taehyung-- just said he is hades’ son. 

 

“ _ really,  _ i would love to tap that, my son is enamoured with you and i am also quite… into apollo, if you get what i’m saying,” he winks at jaehyeong, laughing even louder when he notices his blush. 

 

jaehyeong gapes at him, words still not making any sense in his head. still, he knows he passed out the moment he can hear woosung call out his name. 

 

* * *

 

looking back on the twenty-four years he’s been alive, it doesn’t seem so far-fetched to be hades’ son. he  _ can  _ see dead people and he  _ can  _ bring things back to life, or at least he did bring back a cat years ago. but to actually  _ be  _ the son of a god, to  _ be  _ a demigod? now that sounds like something straight out of a percy jackson book (not the movie, cause in his opinion, it sucked ass). 

 

now, if he truly thinks of it, the past few months  _ do  _ seem like something out of percy jackson meets a really bad comedy movie out of the 90’s, where the protagonist’s life gets messed up by a minor (read: major) inconvenience and he can’t do anything but center his whole life around said problem, until near the third act, movie jaehyeong realizes that he shouldn’t have spent his time helping movie woosung and watch his career die in front of him. and then, as he has this realization, movie woosung tragically dies, in a stupid attempt to do what’s good, in a bad way, mind you, and save his own ass. and while he is dying, maybe in movie jaehyeong’s arms, movie woosung goes on a speech about how thankful he is to have met jaehyeong and how he knows he will never be able to repay him. and after five minutes of a speech, despite movie woosung losing too much blood in the first place, he dies, movie jaehyeong yelling at the sky. 

 

jaehyeong has to admit, he’d look hot with a turtle neck and a necklace. maybe he  _ is  _ the rock, after all. 

 

someone punches him before he can imagine woosung in a see through shirt. 

 

he comes back to his senses, though, his cheek hurting like hell. he wants to curse whoever smacked him, but just then he sees a worried woosung looking down at him, while a carefree taehyung, which really, looks like he’s enjoying this way too much, takes sips of what looks like a mimosa behind his son. 

 

“atta, pretty boy! be as strong as a woman and stand up! you just learned your dad is a lame ass guy, it’s really not that bad,” taehyung says, frowning down at his drink, before magically refilling it. unlike woosung, he can actually hold his liquor. 

 

woosung shushes his dad, his gentle hands helping jaehyeong stand up, giving him encouraging smiles at each and every progress. “ignore him, he’s just drunk,” woosung whispers, nowhere near loud enough for taehyung to hear.

 

“not even close, son! but keep telling yourself that!” 

 

jaehyeong lets his eyes shut, his head falling on woosung’s shoulder. he feels the elder’s fingers run through his hair, while his other hand rests on jaehyeong’s lower back. the action makes his stomach drop, and had he not already passed out twice this day, he might’ve done it again. 

 

“i really,  _ really  _ understand if you don’t want to help me anymore, hyeongie. i mean…” he looks at taehyung, which in the meantime seemed to have found someone else to distract, a tiny man, average to the rest of the world, but tiny compared to the god, which looks as if sunshine is glowing from inside him, “he’s quite something. i don’t get it how other dad can put up with his shit.” 

 

the brunette shakes his head, trying not to stare at how the god’s entire body language changed around the other man, at how comfortable he looks next to him, how the goofiness changed to something akin to love. 

 

he turns back to woosung, giving him his best  _ i’m not tired, this is just my face  _ smile. “i’m still going to help you, ok? no matter what, i promised. it’s just… this whole god thing is something new for me, so bear with me.”

 

the elder squeezes his hand, letting them rest together in a tight hold. “i trust you, angel.”

 

jaehyeong rolls his eyes at the pet name, not finding to fit that well anymore. he nods to the man laughing at taehyung’s joke, “who’s the honeybee looking dude?” 

 

“that’s dad-- i mean apollo. you can call him minho, just don’t tell him i called him dad, it’s embarrassing, like… calling your teacher mom in middle school,” he shivers exaggeratedly. 

 

jaehyeong pushes his shoulder with his own, pulling him back quickly when he notices the way woosung is ready to fall on his side. 

 

“so… now what?” he asks. 

 

“now we bouta tear this motherfucking place down!” 

 

jaehyeong sighs. “what are we going to do with the trail, dumbass. do we have a scheduled day or do we just show up to… the court?” 

 

“oh, that. well, i don’t really know how it goes,” he laughs as he makes a glass of wine appear. “but like, chill out, angel. zeus can’t do shit, besides cheating on hera, we can relax, put on some lo-fi radio, music to study/relax to, it’s fine.”

 

“besides, seungmin, your daddy wants to see you, pretty boy! he’s already on his way with his husbands! now take a chill pill your honor!” taehyung speaks out, throwing him a peace sign, before going back to counting the freckles on minho’s face and neck. 

 

“hey, why do they have korean names? if they’re from ancient greece?” 

 

woosung gives him his glass, still almost untouched. he’s ready to tell him when taehyung yells: “oh my god,  _ jeff _ , you can’t ask people why they’re korean!”

 

“they like to fit in with their kids and make them feel at home, y’know? they use korean names with us and american names with matt and the rest of the gang and stupid ass french names with the baguette fuckers. it’s quite a stupid system, but not most of them do it. besides,” he drags his voice, just as taehyung starts talking at the same time, “greek names are full of bullshit, what type of name is dyonisus?” 

 

“it’s fucking true and you know it! why didn’t the people give me a cool name like eros or hera or apollo?” 

 

jaehyeong nods, understanding at least a bit of the logic behind it. he doesn’t get to ask  _ why  _ they don’t look white, but like some type of korean idol, because suddenly the ground opens up right in front of taehyung, and through it three people come out. and everything be damned, they look like idols  _ too.  _

 

the tallest amongst them runs straight to jaehyeong, hugging him tightly as if he hadn’t seen him in years. and maybe that’s true, after all, he may be… his father. or one of his father’s husbands. doesn’t that make them his dads too?

 

“uh, hi?” 

 

“my son! holy shit, i knew you’d turn out tall like me! ah, this is great!” the man says, arms still tight around jaehyeong as he spins him around. really, this turned into a family drama way too fast, he wants the bad 90’s comedy back. 

 

“i mean, you left me and my mom alone and i had to deal with a bunch of trauma because of that and because of the powers which i didn’t ask for, but yeah, hi, dad.”

 

behind him woosung laughs loudly and he can even see his… other dads laughing. he’s glad people can relate to his childhood dramas, he really feels like the tumblr influencer he always wanted to be.

 

“yeah… i’m sorry about that. i was quite a player twenty-five years ago. i mean baby woo here,” he points to the tall guy with firey hair, “did make a bet with me on who can make the most babies.” he lowers his voice for the next part, “none of us won, by the way.”

 

he pushes his dad away, looking him up and down. “you’re hades, right?” the god nods. “god of the underworld? emo guy from greek mythology?” two more nods, with each new one, the god looking more and more like a giant puppy. “then why on earth are you wearing pink?” 

 

jaehyeong is exhasperated, he’s being childish about it too. a person can wear whatever color they want, that’s not what bothers him. what  _ does  _ bother him is the fact that everyone in the human world, him included, thinks of hades as someone dark, who drinks the blood of enemies and has dinners with skeletons while the souls of the dead weep in the distance. 

 

but this guy? he looked like the most cuddly labradoodle, with his curly black hair, dressed in his giant pink knitted sweater. jaehyeong  _ could  _ see the more prominent features, of course he could, like the high cheekbones and the just as sharp jawline as taehyung’s (really, are the gods taking inspiration for their looks from instagram models?), but that didn’t change the fact that the god in front of him looked about as threatening as dojoon holding a flower. 

 

“well, i’ll have you know, son, that my lovely muse made me this sweater,” he smiles while looking over jaehyeong’s head, to, the lawyer presumes, one of his lovers. “but enough chit-chat, jaehyeong, what d’ya wanna know about your powers from your old man?”

 

jaehyeong laughs, finally getting himself free from seungmin’s hold. “look,  _ dad _ , i don’t want these powers, ok? i really am contempt with being a lawyer and not seeing ghosts every single minute when i’m awake. besides, i haven’t seen an actual ghost in years! and i don’t want to start again, so please… can we pretend i don’t have powers? i’ll be your son, i’ll play catch with you and talk about boy-crushes with you, just… let me be normal.”

 

seungmin puts his hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze, before pulling him back in the bone crushing hug. “of course i’ll respect your decisions, son! if you ever do want to learn about them, you tell  _ me _ , ok? i’ll teach you everything, even how to do that thing with the shadows from that mortal book! i didn’t even know i can do that until ilhoonie told me!” 

 

“did you love my mom?” 

 

the god snorts, before laughing so loud jaehyeong swears he sees some birds judging him. “honey, your ma was a lesbian! who do you think that lady that kept on visiting you was? a best friend?” 

 

the brunette stares at his dad, mouth agape. suddenly, the wheels start working in his brain. “holy fuck, my mom was a lesbian.” seungmin pats his shoulder one more time, before leaving him to process this new information. 

 

he looks into the distance, gathering his thoughts and trying to put them in order. he didn’t even realize his mom was a lesbian, not only that,  _ she  _ didn’t tell him this while she was still alive! or when she came into his room late at night to make sure that her boy ate and showered during the day, ready to tuck him in and read him a story despite jaehyeong being in college. 

 

he just hopes his mom is happy in heaven and that she finally got to have the wife she always wanted. if she even is in heaven. oh, lord, he prays she is. 

 

jaehyeong glaces at the gods, they look serene, not even bothered by the fact that woosung is indeed still at risk of being… thrown into god jail? made to stay on the top of a mountain as crows eat his eyes and liver, which then regenerate and he has to go through it again? they’re just… drinking their nectar as minho plays the lyre to them, one of seungmin’s husbands, the one with long pink hair, dances next to him. 

 

woosung is there too, laughing as his dad tells them a story about zeus and how hera only lets him sleep on the couch nowadays. he looks unbothered by the thought of being judged by fucking  _ athena _ ! goddess of wisdom, the one that all law students beat their meat to. she’s everything jaehyeong wants to be. 

 

does woosung even want to be saved? to be ensured freedom? he certainly doesn’t seem worried. he fits in with the gods, really. easy-going about everything, ready to drink the wine anyone would give him and party with the muses. 

 

he doesn’t even notice the man standing next to him until he clears his throat. “you know, he’s lucky to have you in his life now. you might even change him.” when he looks at him, the firey man is there, smiling at his group of friends. 

 

he feels guilty before he even says it. 

 

“can you send me home?”

 

* * *

 

he’s running through the streets of seoul, not even caring about who he’s running into. he needs dojoon, he needs to see his best friend now, he needs the sense of security he feels around him. he didn’t ask to be a demigod, he didn’t ask to be part of that world. he only wants to pretend like everything is normal, just for a moment. 

 

when jaehyeong finally reaches dojoon’s door, he tries to regain his posture, taking in deep breaths. he can’t have his best friend worry over something like this. after five more minutes of trying to calm his beating heart and to fix his sweaty hair, he knocks. 

 

he waits and waits and waits, yet nothing seems to happen. not until there is crashing inside the apartment, steps running towards the door and opening it with a rather forceful pull. it makes jaehyeong jump back, but the person in front of him stops him just in the middle of it. 

 

“hajoon?”

 

the man smiles at him, briefly pulling the collar of his shirt up, trying to hide what look like hickeys. 

 

“oh my… what?!” 

 

jaehyeong looks behind him, hoping that he would see his best friend as well. when he doesn’t catch even a glimpse of it, his eyes go wide. “please tell me you didn’t leave him with a hard-on, dude!” he says, and even if may sound disgusted, he is over the moon. his best friend finally did something about his crush. 

 

but then it hits him. for how long have they been together? were they just hooking up? did he neglect his best friend so much lately that dojoon didn’t even feel comfortable to tell him about how he finally got dicked down? did he  _ really  _ prioritize woosung for these past weeks? 

 

hajoon pulls him inside gently, closing the door just as lightly behind him. “you didn’t miss much, jae. i just asked him out yesterday and we may have had a bit too much nectar and you know… mortals get horny,” he laughs at the last part, his cheeks turning pink. 

 

jaehyeong laughs along, too tired and confused by today’s events to actually pay attention to what hajoon was  _ truly  _ implying. 

 

“is he here? wait, no, i should let you two…” he looks down at hajoon’s lower body, his own cheeks reddening, “do your thing.”

 

“what? no!” hajoon wastes no time in linking their arms, dragging him inside the living room and pushing the younger on the couch. “tell me what’s wrong, kid. come on, i’m here for you.”

 

“well… today i found out--”

 

he gets interrupted by an  _ almost  _ naked dojoon walking in, his whole body flushed and lust filling his eyes. his best friend doesn’t even notice him sitting on his couch, ready to tell his life story to his boyfriend, instead going straight to hajoon and kissing him heated on the mouth. 

 

jaehyeong waits a few seconds, checking his nonexistent watch every now and again, but when he sees that dojoon doesn’t plan to spot any time soon, he claps loudly, succeeding in making him jump apart from hajoon. 

 

“yo, monkey brain! i’m not into voyeour so how about you stop!” 

 

dojoon looks startled by hearing jaehyeong’s voice, but he quickly looks down, blushing, if possible, even more than before. the younger just sighs and pets his hair, throwing the blanket that was next to him over dojoon’s head. 

 

“as i was saying before you went all ape shit on hajoonie, here,” he inhales deeply, but the words don’t seem to come out. he has no idea how to phrase it so that he doesn’t sound insane. sure, dojoon and hajoon both know about how woosung is a demigod, and whilst the former didn’t quite believe it first (not that now he actually does), he did like to humor woosung. 

 

dojoon, still drunk, laughs loudly, hiding his face in the crook of hajoon’s neck as he tries to make it less obvious. “y’gonna say you’re a demigod too, right?” he asks as his laughter dies down into giggles. 

 

hajoon just sighs fondly, petting the elder’s head. “did you leave sammy alone there, jae?” 

 

the demigod frowns. “how did you know i left woosung there? how did you know i was  _ with  _ him?”

 

“you’re joined to the hip, pretty boy. when’s the last time you spent time away from him. and going to work doesn’t count!” 

 

that does make him wonder: when  _ was  _ the last time he spent more than ten minutes without woosung? 

 

“huh… yeah, i guess you’re right… i think that’s why i left, you know? i needed some time alone, just to put my thoughts in order.”

 

hajoon reaches over to hold his hand, squeezing it lightly. “don’t feel guilty, ok? he understands it, i know he does.”

 

“you think, joonie?” 

 

hajoon smiles again, this time more reassuring, the action making jaehyeong feel at peace, making him truly trust the older man. 

 

“i know.”

 

and with the thought of woosung in his head, he manages to fall asleep. 

 

* * *

 

he’s not sure how long he’s been putting his thoughts in order (read: moping around) for when he gets a call from dojoon, one uneventful evening. he was just brewing his fifth cup of coffee for the day when he called, sounding excited and joyful, as if he wasn’t going to tell him about their newest case, a case which involved a murder. 

 

of course, he says yes before dojoon can even finish giving him the details. he really thinks that a case, an  _ actual, human world  _ case will help him. 

 

so, later, while sipping his coffee and browsing the email dojoon has sent him with their client’s information, he has a realization.  _ this  _ is who he really is. he’s only a human, who can only help people. normal people, like him. he’s no demigod, no superior being. he’s not like woosung and he will never be like him, no matter what his “dad” told him. 

 

he doesn’t even realize he’s crying until he feels the sobs wreaking his body, his cup falling from between his fingers and onto the floor, shattering into pieces, the hot liquid seeping into his white rug. through tears, he watches as his rug turns an ugly color of brown, and he can’t help but think of how woosung came crashing into his once bleak and monotone life, as a splash of color. 

 

he made his dark days warm and bright again. his too boring ones a bit more colorful and unique. even with his loud singing which sometimes woke him up way too early in the morning, he managed to bring a smile on his face. 

 

he looks back on the past days, the ones in which there was no more brightness, in which the only thing which managed to bring him joy was the thought of his brain going numb again from the too many coffees he inhaled. 

 

he doesn’t want to spend his life like this. he’s been living like this since he realized he couldn’t keep his kitty alive anymore, since his mom died. he knows what sadness feels like and he doesn’t want to feel it again. 

 

jaehyeong feels a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders, soft words murmured in his hair. he knows that the person is woosung without even looking up. he’s got his touch, his smell, his entire presence memorized by now. 

 

woosung doesn’t rush him. he lets him cry, his hand rubbing his back as a reminder that he’s not alone. jaehyeong just clings to him, feeling smaller and smaller with each small kiss that the elder presses to his head. 

 

he wants nothing more than to fall asleep right now, just to stay in woosung’s arms and listen to his heartbeat, to have him run his fingers through his hair. 

 

still crying and shaking, he feels himself being carried away from his living room, seconds later being laid down gently on his bed. woosung tries to not let go of him as he changes his dirty shirt, before tucking him in and sitting next to the younger. 

 

he pulls jaehyeong closer, until he’s resting his head on woosung’s chest, his breathing making the younger’s head rise and fall back in a repeated slow manner. it helps him a bit, his own breathing trying to match the elder’s. 

 

not much later, woosung takes a deep breath, before his almost too quiet voice fills the room. jaehyeong doesn’t recognize the lullaby, but he recognizes the feelings he gets from listening to it.

 

warmth and safety. 

 

he falls asleep long after woosung’s breathing evens out, too caught up in the song, memories of his mom laying down next to him, his bed light switched to the highest setting to keep the monsters away. 

 

his hand itches to turn on his light, but he thinks that the glow that radiates from woosung is enough. 

 

* * *

 

the day of the first hearing comes faster than he had expected. he’s tying his tie in front of the bathroom mirror when woosung, wearing a neon tank top, which says  _ jesus was a bro _ , and a simple pair of pink shorts, pokes his side, making him stop and look at him. 

 

“why are you wearing a suit? athena will literally wear her white robe thing,” he says, biting his lip as his eyes come to a stop right on his chest. 

 

“athe-- oh my god! today is your trial!” 

 

woosung nods, his freshly dyed light brown hair falling over his forehead. “did you forget?”

 

he  _ did  _ forget, his attention mainly focused on the murder case, but he can’t say that to him. not when that would mean seeing woosung pout.

 

“no?” 

 

the elder sighs and jaehyeong can tell that he is hurt even when he tries to hide it behind an easy-going smile. “i don’t mind, ok? go take care of the lady, ok? her child deserves to know peace in the afterlife,” he says as he moves from the doorway to hug jaehyeong. “i’ll manage it on my own, ok? i have my charms.”

 

the brunette pushes him to look into his eyes properly. “no, sungie. i’ll come with you! i promised that i will help! and don’t worry about my client. i’m not her only lawyer, ok? dojoon is there too, he can handle this. he’s been doing this for longer than me.” he puts his hands on woosung’s cheeks, squishing them together to make the elder smile again. 

 

it takes a few moments, but in the end, the demigod does look up at jaehyeong, the tiniest ghost of a smile written on his lips. jaehyeong mirrors his action, and without much thought he leans down and presses his lips on woosung’s forehead. 

 

“i’m your the rock, ok?”

 

woosung erupts into giggles, hiding the lower half of his face behind his hand. “thanks, angel,” he whispers, voice full of unnamed emotions. 

 

“you’re very welcome, sungie.”

 

one phone call full of apologies and explaining to dojoon later, they find themselves back on the olympus mountain, right where they last met the bro-gang, as woosung calls them. there is no one around, the whole field devoid of any beings. 

 

“shit, fuck, they might’ve started!” woosung exclaims, his hand sneaking back into jaehyeong’s. “hold on tight, angel!” 

 

he does. or at least he hopes he does. the whole idea of traveling through dimensions and space and time still not wrapping around his head. when he opens his eyes again, even though he doesn’t remember closing them, they are in the middle of what looks like a room in a museum that is made to look like something from ancient greece. it doesn’t look… authentic, not with the couches which look like they were bought from an ikea. still, he can admit that the room gives him a certain feeling, he’s just not sure  _ what _ .

 

“you’re late,” a voice booms, making jaehyeong’s hairs stand up on his body. 

 

“sorry about that, dude. we were having a moment,” woosung addresses them and when jaehyeong turns to look who exactly was speaking, he almost dies on the spot. 

 

there stands athena, looking  _ exactly  _ like she does in the art and sculptures made for her, an owl resting on her shoulder. jaehyeong swears he can see the fond look she gives woosung, before she goes back into her stern posture. 

 

“since mister kim  _ finally  _ decided to join us for his own trial, let’s start, shall we? mister kim, how about you show us the power that you stole?” 

 

“first of all, i told you to call me sammy, bro! and secondly, it’s not my fault that the cunt can’t keep what’s his!” woosung says, everything about screaming too laid back, unprofessionalism. 

 

jaehyeong sees athena roll her eyes, while at the same time he hears taehyung cheer for his son. he still can’t believe that they are gods. 

 

“your power,  _ mister kim. _ ”

 

the demigod throws his hands in the air, but despite how exasperated he tries to look, he still closes his eyes and concentrates. 

 

except that five minutes pass and absolutely nothing happens. no spark, no lightning to appear in the sky, no nothing. 

 

woosung lets out a confused chuckle, his hand extending in front of him in a spider-man pose. he screams in frustration when again, nothing happens.    
  


“look! i had it, ok? i could feel the light like… coursing through me or whatever bullshit the fucking cunt says! i think it’s just… asleep or something!”

 

athena quirks an eyebrow, her face unreadable. the other gods and beings around them all hold their breaths, jaehyeong included. 

 

“you lost a god’s power, mister kim. and not any god, but  _ zeus’. _ do you know what that means?” her cold voice cuts through the air, leaving no room for woosung to try and defend himself. 

 

“your honor!” jaehyeong screams, standing up and rushing to stand in front of the goddess. “sungie-- my client-- he’s innocent! with all due respect, i think that whatever punishment you have in mind is wrong! so  _ please _ ! let me prove to you that he is not guilty of losing the lightning  _ or  _ of stealing it.”

 

“with all due respect,  _ hades’ child _ , i think you have no say in this. were you there when he commited the crime? were you there when he sneaked in and stole the lightning? do you have  _ any  _ idea how much the mortals have suffered without zeus to guide them? i think you have no idea that the power makes the god a  _ god. _ ”

 

“i think you’re wrong, your honor. it’s not the power that makes the god who they are, but the belief of the people. had it not been for those mortals, you wouldn’t exist, am i right?” at this statement, athena frowns, but nods to jaehyeong, telling him to continue. “so i don’t think that it’s woosung who stole zeus’ power. i think it’s the fact that people have stopped believing in him that stripped him of it. i mean, really now, the guy is the worst! he ate his children, cheated on hera multiple times, destroyed the lives of countless and you,” he points to all of the gods around, “still consider him the almighty?” 

 

the crowd begins to murmur, a few louder beings yelling their agreements. 

 

“so, your honor, i think it is safe to say that woosung is innocent.”

 

she nods. “well then--”

 

“wait up, my daughter!” a female voice says, just as the doors open, wind blowing inside with such an amazing force that jaehyeong can see the fruits set on the table in the far corner fly off it. 

 

“mother! what is it?” 

 

when the woman finally stops, right next to him, jaehyeong wants to punch himself. 

 

  1. why do all the gods _and_ demigods love to make an entrance? and
  2. why does she look like she’s about to perform _bad boy_ with red velvet?



 

“the lightning  _ did  _ belong to woosung for a brief moment!” she says, and really, is she trying to screw up the whole impact jaehyeong’s speech had on athena? “ _ but _ !” he sighs in relief, “it now finds him a coward!” 

 

woosung looks ready to fight as he stands up, pushing the desk in front of him at least a few centimeters away. jaehyeong has to hide a smile. 

 

“listen here, dohee! you take that back right now or i swear your wife is gonna get it!”

 

the lawyer frowns as he looks between the goddess and woosung. hera is bisexual?  _ and  _ she has a wife? god really said let gays win. 

 

dohee looks unbothered as she gives him a sweet and patient smile. “it finds you a coward because you can’t tell hades’ child your true feelings.”

 

why do  _ all  _ of them keep calling him hades’-- 

 

“his what now for who now?” he asks, mouth agape as he stares at woosung. he looks as if someone just told the whole world his biggest secret. which… she may have. 

 

“look, oh mighty goddess,” woosung starts, pointing a finger at her, “i have no feelings for angel, ok? zero, nada, rien. he’s my bro and bro only!”

 

she rolls her eyes, the same smile still on her lips. “are you sure, woosung?”

 

“yep.”

 

dohee looks at jaehyeong, then back at woosung. jaehyeong gets the message and he knows she’s right. this might be the best moment to do it anyway. 

 

he grabs the elder’s hand, catching his attention and making him look at jaehyeong. while looking straight into woosung’s eyes, he says: “your honor, i have one more argument which i would like to present.” 

 

and… then he’s kissing woosung, his lips pressing on woosung’s in the gentlest kiss he could muster. his hand, the one which wasn’t busy holding the elder’s, makes its way on top of his cheek, his thumb grazing the top of it. he wants to deepen it, he aches to, but he doesn’t think it’s appropriate. woosung, however, after coming back to his senses, grabs the back of his neck, pulling jaehyeong down, so that he can kiss him properly, like he’s been meaning to for months. 

 

it feels right, their first kiss. and in that moment, that’s all that matters. 

 

a few moments later, athena coughs, startling them and making them pull apart. 

 

“since mister kim doesn’t seem to be of any danger to us and since…” she looks at dohee, before nodding, “mother is now the one possessing the lightning, i shall declare mister kim not guilty.”

 

woosung whoops, arms still wrapped around jaehyeong’s neck as he tries to fistpump the air. he only succeeds in almost choking the younger. still, he can’t help but laugh, his own arms pulling woosung closer until he can bury his face in his shoulder, pressing small kisses on it. 

 

“you did it!” woosung exclaims.

 

“i mean, not to suck my own dick, but i did it!”

 

“that’s my fucking son, olympus!” he hears seungmin yell in the distance, before the same god yelps and starts whining about his muse not loving him enough. 

 

jaehyeong has no idea why he ended up like this, but he really couldn’t be happier. 

 

* * *

 

hours later, after all the gods leave, now that their form of entertainment had ended, and after jaehyeong and woosung celebrate their victory with their family, they head back to the human world. it took them a minimum of twenty minutes of trying to make taehyung and seungmin let go of their sons, all while their lovers pretended not to know them, hoping that in that way the second hand embarrassment would disappear. 

 

just as they get ready to leave, ilhoon pulls jaehyeong aside, giving him a simple box. 

 

“your gift, from me. now that we are family, you need one too,” he says, smiling brightly as jaehyeong opens it, his eyes falling on the sweater in it. “i wasn’t sure about the color, but i think yellow suits you.” 

 

jaehyeong wastes no time and hugs him so tightly, he is sure he has moved at least three of his organs from their original place. 

 

“thank you,” he whispers. 

 

ilhoon just pets his back, squeezing him back. “oh! and when you see erato, please tell him to give good old terpischore a call, ok?” 

 

“erato?”

 

the muse tilts his head to the side, before he finally remembers it. “hajoon! that’s what he calls himself in your world!”

 

oh and how  _ that _ makes sense. 

 

* * *

 

as he opens the door to his apartment, his new sweater held tightly in his hand, woosung right behind him, he hears giggles coming from his bedroom. he is almost seventy percent sure that this is his apartment, but for a second, the thought of his key somehow opening another apartment in his building does cross his mind. 

 

“hajoonie is here!” woosung whispers excitedly, as if his  _ boyfriend  _ isn’t right next to him.

 

he still hasn’t told woosung that their friend is a muse, not entirely sure on how to bring that up. but then, hajoon and his own best friend greet them, and sure enough, woosung runs straight to him, yelling something about having missed his favorite muse. 

 

dojoon doesn’t look phased by it either, and as jaehyeong gives him a questioning look, dojoon just smiles and shakes his head. at least as woosung tells their friends in detail about how cool jaehyeong was when he called zeus out, hajoon laughing loudly while dojoon looks as if he is ready to propose on the spot, he knows he is home. 

 

“thank hades,” he murmurs, only for himself.

**Author's Note:**

> please, do tell me how much it sucked cause i honestly have no idea what even is the plot anymore  
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